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Puig's debut week earns him NL honor

Puig's debut week earns him NL honor

With a sizzling bat and stellar defense, Yasiel Puig had one of the most memorable debut weeks in MLB history

By Jason Mastrodonato
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MLB.com |

For his efforts during his first seven days in the big leagues, Yasiel Puig was named the National League Player of the Week on Monday.

"It's been storybook," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said over the weekend. "I'm talking on the bench and saying, 'If a guy gets a hit, he's going to hit it to Puig, and [Puig's] going to throw him out at the plate and hit an inside-the-parker or something.' It's just crazy stuff every night. Nothing really surprises us anymore."

The Cuban-born Puig, who signed a seven-year, $42 million contract last June, became just the second player since 1900 (Mike Jacobs with the 2005 Mets being the other) to hit four homers in his first five Major League games. He also tied a Major League record with 10 RBIs in his first five games, joining two others.

In Spring Training, Puig hit .517 with 10 extra-base hits in 58 at-bats, but was sent to Double-A Chattanooga to begin the season. Puig responded by hitting 12 doubles, three triples and eight homers over 147 at-bats, while stealing 13 bases and posting a .982 OPS.

It's been much of the same in the Majors, with Puig leading the NL (among qualified players) last week with a .964 slugging percentage.

Puig became the first Dodgers rookie to win Player of the Week honors since Andre Ethier in 2006.

Mattingly previously said that Puig should stick around on the club even with the eventual returns of injured outfielders Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford.

"Right now, he brings an energy we were missing," said backup catcher Ramon Hernandez.

Jason Mastrodonato is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @jmastrodonato. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.